Harley-Davidson Urges You to 'Live Your Legend' in Global Campaign

First Spot Debuted During NCAA Men's Basketball Tournament

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Harley-Davidson is rolling out a global marketing campaign, "Live Your Legend," aimed at increasing demand and brand awareness, following several quarters of slipping sales numbers.

The campaign, co-developed in-house with Minneapolis boutique Wolfes, will publicly debut March 17 during the NCAA Men's Basketball Tournament with a commercial dubbed "One Day," which showcases Harley-Davidson's influence on a father-son relationship.

"I like to think of 'Live Your Legend' as a call to action," said Shelley Paxton, VP-global marketing and brand at Harley-Davidson. "We want to spark a movement for riders and non-riders alike to start living their legacy and start living life on their own terms, and we know generations of Harley-Davidson riders have done exactly that."

The campaign, which will launch globally in the next few weeks, will include a series of TV spots, print and online media, enthusiast and lifestyle media outreach, social media activations, direct marketing and retail promotions. Harley also plans on curating real-life stories from riders on its social channels and website.

Overall, Harley is increasing its investment to drive demand by about $70 million this year.

Harley reported a 3.4% drop in retail motorcycle sales in the U.S. in the fourth quarter of 2015, as well as a 1.7% dip for the full year of 2015, compared with 2014. The company also slipped 0.6% worldwide in retail motorcycle sales in Q4 2015 and 1.3% for the full year.

"We're changing our playbook and taking action, and this is one of the few crown jewels of our plan this year that is designed to drive more demand for Harley-Davidson motorcycles," said Ms. Paxton.